


sunset season

by thisainthannah



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Crushing, DNF, Fluff, Football, High School, High School AU, Karl Jacobs - Freeform, Longing, M/M, Nihachu - Freeform, Songfic, cheerleader george, cheerleading, conan gray - Freeform, dream is a jock ehheheh, dreamnotfound, football dream, minx - Freeform, sapnap - Freeform, sunset season
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:20:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29770575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisainthannah/pseuds/thisainthannah
Summary: george thought he suppressed his stupid freshman year crush.but boy, was he wrong.(slice of life high school au perhaps? lolsies)
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	1. ☆ champion's dinner ☆

**Author's Note:**

> heya! reuploading this to here after i took it off of wattpad lol :) @thisainthannah on there pog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> game day with georgie hehe

"go gators!"

i throw my pom poms in the air, catching them as they come down. i don't have to stunt tonight, lucky me, so i get to do the fun cheers and stuff like that. twirling around in this green skirt is just so much fun.

our team is currently winning, which is nice. doesn't make our squad look stupid- cheering for the losing team is like cheering for someone who passed out in the middle of a marathon, hoping they win. useless and stupid.

this game is going well. our quarterback is over the moon, getting happier with every touchdown.

his name is clay. everyone calls him "dream," for a few reasons actually. some say it's because he's "dreamy," and some say it's because his football performance seems like it's come straight from a dream. both of these are correct to me.

dream makes another touchdown, and the crowd roars. as if we aren't used to him calling all the shots.

"dream on, gladiators!" yells our squad. the opposing team is the gladiators, and they're getting their world rocked. their squad chants something back at us. i don't really comprehend it, i'm too focused on this routine.

the hip pops are my favorite. i feel like i'm in a beyonce music video.

"georgeeee! you wanna stunt tonight?" calls my friend niki. she's my co-captain- i don't know how, but i somehow managed to get appointed as captain this year. and since they let me choose my assistant, i chose niki. not only is she a great cheerleader, she's just a fucking angel.

"go will!" she yells from beside me. her best friend wilbur is on the team- probably the second best player, behind dream of course. i watch as wilbur directs his attention to the stand we're cheering in, and he waves at niki. must be nice to have a friendship like that.

wilbur makes a touchdown, and we cheer. we don't do our "dream on" cheer.

that's only for when he makes one.

dream's actually really nice. one would expect the popular, most respected senior boy in the school to be an asshole, but he's the exact opposite. constantly goes out of his way to help others, and never flaunts what he has.

because he knows that not everyone has it as good as he does.

i've known him for a while now. since sixth grade, maybe? we were slightly close in like, freshman year, but we lost touch. he's still really sweet, though. a six foot three teddy bear that lives in hoodies and loves to crush monsters at three in the morning. or, that's my experience with him anyways. oh, and he plays a lot of video games too. he's good at them. we played minecraft a couple times before- he used to plant flowers outside of my house when i was out mining.

i'll admit, i had a tiny crush on him back then, but it's gone now.

the game's just gotten to halftime, which means i can finally go get a damn snack. niki and i always run to the concession stand and grab some m&m's and a coke, usually sprinting to beat the football players. mean, i know, but we're hungry too.

"hi george!" says my friend bad, working behind the concession stand. i return his greeting and request my usual, which he happily hands over. cheerleaders and players get free snacks.

as we head back to the field, candy and drinks in hand, someone catches my eye. blond hair, green eyes, and tall. muscular build. football jersey. hanging with wilbur and a kid named nick.

dream.

"hey georgie!" he calls from a few feet over.

"hi dream!" my heart flutters a little bit.

"how're you? we haven't talked in a while!"

he smiles. that adorably crooked smirk.

"i'm good, and you?"

"doing grand. we should hang out soon."

i don't have a crush on him this time, so...

"sure! i'd love to."

he smiles, and then he's called back to the field. fuck.

i wave him off.

=====

the game's nearing the end, with like three minutes left.

"come onnnnn gators!" shouts the squad, as we all furiously shake our pompoms.

dream gets the ball and sprints down the field. god, he's fast.

and in the last few moments of this game, he makes that winning touchdown.

"gooooo dream!" i shout as he jumps, punching the air in happiness. i'm really loud, but i don't care. he just scored an incredible touchdown.

as our team clears the field, i survey the commons of our stadium, but i don't find dream. he's usually front and center, accepting congratulations from the whole world, but he isn't tonight. instead, he's coming in from behind me.

"geeeorgie!"

i cringe at the nickname before turning around, my uniform skirt swishing.

"good job out there, dream!" i tell him, and he smiles once again, accepting a high-five.

"you should come with us to our champion's dinner. by that, i mean, five or six of us going to ihop, but yeah. champion's dinner."

"i'll ask my mom, she'll probably let me." i pull out my phone and call her, and she answers on the second ring.

"mommy, can i go to dinner with some friends?"

"with who?" she asks.

"clay, nick a., i think niki and bad are gonna be there, and a kid named karl. they're all nice."

she chooses to tease me. "clay, huh? the cute, tall one?"

"maaaama! yes, that one!" i begin to blush profusely, and dream laughs at me.

our call eventually ends. she lets me go, of course, and tells me to ride with clay or niki. since i didn't wanna bring my car, i rode with nik.

however, she can't go tonight. she has a family commitment in the morning, she says. damn.

"clay, c-can you bring me to the ihop?" i ask him.

"of course! i was gonna offer you a ride anyways," he responds, beaming down at me. i say goodbye to niki and follow him out to the parking lot, with my sweatshirt slung over my shoulders. i hop into the passenger seat of his grey truck and we head on out.

"you cheered well today," dream says, concentrating his glance on the road.

"thank you, i didn't have to stunt today and i was happy," i respond, laughing.

"you're a damn good tumbler though."

i go silent before thanking him, playing with the hem of my skirt. the cheer uniforms are so cute, i love them.

"we're here," he says after a few minutes of silence. we both get out of the car and trot into the restaurant, where nick and karl have already saved us a table.

"hey, slowpokes!" teases karl, and we all laugh. or, they laugh, and i nervously giggle.

"sit down, sit down!" nick says, motioning for us to sit. he's here with karl, bad, and zak, and they scoot for us to sit down with them. i'm between dream and karl.

"what are you gonna get?" karl asks me, and i tell him i'm gonna get chocolate chip pancakes. shit slaps.

after we all share our orders, a waitress comes around, and takes them.

"is that all?" she says, and we nod and smile.

it is kinda weird hanging with these people again when i haven't in a while, but they picked up exactly where we left off. it's like i was never apart from them.

"so, how're y'all doing in classes?" nick says.

"i'm managing. i only have one b," dream says, and we all congratulate him. mister perfect.

we all go around telling our grades. i'm the only one with straight a's, which makes me feel special.

just as we're beginning to talk about minecraft, our food shows up, cutting us short.

"fuckin' finally," nick mutters, earning a smack from karl. "i'm hungry!"

and we eat our dinner/breakfast in silence, considering it's rude to talk with a mouthful.


	2. ☆ like old times ☆

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> celebratory dinner with the homies!

our togetherness after finishing wasn't that eventful, and now i'm back in the truck with dream. it's always clean, and smells like him. the faint scent of old spice and peppermint gum. a comforting fragrance.

"this is your street, right?" he asked me, and it took me a second to reply. i was zoned out, of course.

"next one over," i tell him. part of me is insulted that he doesn't remember my street, but it's also dark out, so i don't blame him. he's always been bad at directions.

"fuck," he mutters under his breath as i feel the car hit something. "i think i just ran over a squirrel."

"aww, poor squirrel! you're a murderer!" i scold him, and he laughs. "i'm sorry, we'll hold a funeral." i smile in response.

the rest of our ride is quiet, but a comfortable silence. it's nice, riding with an old friend. our encounter was sudden, but surely not unappreciated. i like spending time with him.

"we're here," dream says, snapping me out of my trance. "okay!"

"thank you for coming, it was a lot of fun!" he beams as i swing my legs over the seat and out of the car.

"thank you for inviting me," i tell him.

"no problem, i love when you come with us."

and with that, i got out and went into my house.

"hi momma!" i say as i enter the kitchen. she smiles at me as she finishes up washing the plate she's holding.

"how was dinner sweetheart?"

"good, we had a lot of fun!"

"did you talk to claaaay?"

she doesn't know that i ever had a tiny crush on him, she just knows that i'm not straight and he's cute. she also likes the quarterback and head cheerleader trope, of course. "like finn and quinn," mom had resonated in the past.

but didn't finn and quinn both cheat on each other like three times?

whatever.

"yes, mommy, he brought me there. and home."

"i honestly think he's a very nice boy. it's a shame that you two aren't very close anymore. your father thinks so as well."

"whatever, he's cute and all but he's so, so straight." i dramatically sigh.

"you never know, darling."

and then i went up to shower. i was sweaty from cheering.

as i prepare for my lovely shower, i decide to listen to some good music. for tonight, i choose conan gray. the king. no pun intended.

the first song that comes up is "crush culture," probably the most popular track on his album "sunset season." i love this album with my whole fucking heart. it screams football games and teen romance, and that's what i live for, of course. the lara jean and peter kavinsky lifestyle.

as i get in, i begin to sing along. of course. this song is so catchy.

"crush culture makes me wanna spill my guts out,

i know what you're doin', trying to get me to pursue you,

crush culture makes me wanna spill my guts out,

spill my guts out, spill my guts out," i sing, slightly off key, but it's singing. it doesn't matter how you sound if you're enjoying yourself, right?

i lather strawberry shampoo into my hair as i continue my singing, the soap filling the shower in a mist of strawberry-scented bubbles. pleasant.

eventually the water went lukewarm, which is when i know it's time to get out. sad. i was jamming. i exit the shower and dry off with my fluffy towel. my hair's a mess, but i can brush it. i think messy hair's cute.

=====

i slept like a damn baby last night- despite the soreness in my arms from cheer, of course. my pillow smells faintly of strawberries as i wake up.

i grab my phone off of the bedside table. saturday, it reads. nice. it also displays a few texts from karl and dream.

"you should come overrrr," karl says. sure!

"lol you left your pompoms in my car," dream says. fuck. i tell him i'll come around and pick them up in a minute, and i tell karl i'll see if i can hang today.

"noooo, don't stress it, i'll bring them," dream tells me, but of course, he says this after i'm already half way to his house. he realizes i'm driving and calls me.

"i should have brought them last night, i'm sorry," he says on the phone.

"it's alright, i shouldn't have left them in your truck."

"i took them out so they wouldn't get fucked up. they're in my room, come in when you're here, alright?"

"alright. be there shortly." i hang up as i turn onto his street. it's only a few minutes away from my house.

"here," i text him, and he tells me to come in. i exit my car and walk in, knocking on the door first.

"hi georgie!" dream calls from the hallway. i walk through and to his bedroom. sure, it's slightly messy, but it's comforting.

"oh, your things are in here," he says, and leads me to his room. and sure enough, my pompoms, or "things" as he called them, are sitting on his dresser.

"thank yooou!" i tell him, and he bashfully smiles. "no problem. you can stay for a while if you want, by the way. we can boot up minecraft and eat brownies, just like old times. literally. i made brownies yesterday at like, midnight."

"s-sure," i respond almost immediately. of course i wanna eat brownies and play minecraft, who wouldn't?

"are your parents okay with it?"

"i'll ask. i'm sure they'll be happy."

i know mom will, of course. she perks up at the word "clay" like a dog does at the word "treat."

"are yours, dream?"

"yeah, they know you're here. my mom literally encouraged me." he laughs as he turns on his tv, and motions for me to follow him to the kitchen.

"look! i made them myself. not as good as yours, but still decent."

it's true- i make the best brownies. i know, strange flex.

"add some powdered sugar on top. trust me. take it from the master."

dream laughs and runs off to his pantry to grab the powdered sugar. he returns, and lets me sprinkle some on top.

"daaaamn, these are so much better with the sugar," he says as he sinks his teeth into a brownie. 

=====

we've been hanging for the past three hours, playing minecraft and eating all of the fucking brownies.

or, he's eaten most of them. i've had two, and he's had like twenty.

we haven't talked much, besides the chatter as we play. my phone's gone off a lot, but it's fine. probably just karl.

oh shit. karl. i told him i'd go over to his house today. fuck.

he knew that i had a crush on dream, so he'll probably think that my feelings have resurfaced if i tell him i'm hanging out with him.

"bros before hoes," he says.

"what's the matter?" dream says, noticing that i've stopped moving in-game.

"i forgot, i was gonna go to karl's today and didn't."

"oh, you can go, i'm sorry for-"

"i already told him i couldn't make it today."

"george, you should go, don't ditch him for me."

"i hang out with karl like, every day. we never hang out anymore. i think i can suffice one day."

he doesn't respond, and instead hits me in minecraft. this engages us in both a heated battle and a fit of giggles.

"bitch ass!" i say as i kick his shin.

"owww!" he groans, but continues laughing.

"sorry, clay," i tell him. calling him "clay" is funny because he usually gets all weird.

but he never did with me.

"it's alright, george."

=====

i ended up going home a few hours later.

"so, how was it?" asks my mom.

"we had fun. i may or may not have cancelled on karl to hang out with him."

speaking of karl, he's ringing my phone again. i excuse myself and head up to my bedroom.

"karl, what is it?" i say.

"nothing. just bored. didn't get to hang today so i might as well facetime you instead."

"okay, don't kill me, but the reason i didn't go over is because i was at dream's."

"okay, i'd kill you if i didn't want you two to get married like, right now."

"shut uuuup, i know i liked him back in like, sophomore year, but that doesn't mean i still do."

"y'all would be perfect though! you could be like-"

"like finn and quinn?"

"no, i was gonna say something else, but yeah, finn and quinn works too."

"goddammit karl, you're just like my mom."

he cackles into the phone in response.

"he's so straight though. he could pull any girl in the fucking school, karl!"

"who said he was straight? has he told you? c'mon now gogy, give yourself a chance."

"i don't fucking like him like that though!"

"but you know damn well you'd drop everything to be with him."

"fuck no!"

"come onnn. you know i'm right."

i don't like him like that.

"just because he's cute and i liked him two years ago and hung our with him for five hours doesn't mean i wanna run away to italy and get married in a castle, karl."

"oh, so you think he's cute?"

fucking dammit.


	3. ☆ dreamboat ☆

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just two bros chillin :)

monday's rolled around once again. i honestly don't mind school- i'm smart, and i get to see my friends, so what's there to not like?

as i make my way into the halls, i'm almost immediately greeted by a voice. karl's.

"goooogy!" i roll my eyes at the nickname. i hate being called that. i think dream came up with that in like, freshman year, and it just kinda stuck. idiot.

"what do you want, karl?" i say, punching his arm.

"i forgot the science homework," he pouts. i vow to give him the answers in homeroom. it's due tomorrow, but he has football practice today and i just don't want my best friend to fail, of course.

speaking of practice, i have cheer today. part of me is excited that i get to hang with niki for another hour today. another part of me is excited because of someone else who's gonna be on the field this evening.

we all could guess who it is. fuck, i don't want to admit it. my stomach turns at the thought of having another crush. ya see, it didn't work out so well last time- i fell so hard, and when he got a girlfriend, it hurt badly. but i got over it, and i thought i learned my goddamn lesson, but allegedly i didn't. here i am, once again crushing.

to quote the finest musical masterpiece, crush culture really does make me wanna spill my guts.

=====

lunch has rolled around. nice.

"oh goooogy, guess who's sitting at our table?" teases karl. fuck you.

"is it oprah?"

"yes, totally. no dumbass, it's your boyfriend."

"karl, he's not my boyfriend."

"you wish he was."

"no, no i don't."

"you totally do. you're blushing!"

is it possible to love someone and dislike them at the same time? karl's like my fucking brother. love him, but dislike him at the same time.

"anyways... let's go eat. i brought extra cookies today!" i tell karl, and he smiles. he never turns down some of my cookies. i made double chocolate chip cookies yesterday. no reason, totally not because they're someone's favorite.

"hiii!" dream greets as we walk up to the table. karl and i greet him back and take our seats. this time, i'm in between the two.

"i brought cookies!" i call out, and all eyes are on me. everyone knows that i'm the cookie god.

"damn, he brought the double chocolate chip! your favorite!" our friend nick says to dream. he blushes a little.

"yes, they're so fuckin' good!" he directs this towards me, and i bashfully accept. my cookies are fucking goated.

"so, y'all all goin' out to the field today?" asks zak.

"yeah, cheer," i respond, shoving a cookie in my mouth. the rest have football, so we're all gonna be out there today.

including him.

fuck.

"hii!" says an angelic voice. niki! wilbur's by her side, and they take their seats at the table. nik being here makes me slightly more comfortable. nothing is better than lunch with your two best friends.

karl always said i should date niki, and so i had to tell him that i do not play for her team. besides, niki? come on! she doesn't date. everyone thinks she dates wilbur, but no. she would rather be dead.

"what's up niiiiki?" greets nick, and she laughs. "and wilby!"

he slaps nick for the stupid fucking nickname. we ended up getting the shorter end of the stick in that department- gogy and wilby? what is this?

our lunch is pretty uneventful. karl kicks my leg under the table every time dream and i talk, and i want to fucking kill him.

=====

practice time!

i've already gotten on my clothes. cheer shirt and those adidas shorts that are super fucking comfortable. cheer shoes laced up, and we're ready to go.

me and the two other dudes in cheer change in the boy's bathroom. mostly for space, because there are so many girls and they take up a lot in the locker rooms.

the other dudes are this other guy named george (twins) and another who earned the nickname "velvet." i don't know how. they're nice though, so it's cool.

it sucks how many times i've been told to date one of them. the other george is in cheer because he just fucking likes the sport, and velvet has a boyfriend. a dude who uses the nickname "ant." damn, what's with this school and their obscure nicknames?

"come on george, we're gonna be late," calls velvet from outside of the stalls. fucking dammit.

"shit, sorry." he and george laugh at me and we head on out to the field.

shocker, we weren't late. we beat the girls, and now it's just us and some of the football players. specifically, dream.

okay, i'm not afraid to admit it anymore. i'm crushing. just a little bit.

but it's hard not to! he's perfect! he's everything that anyone could ever want.

"georgiee!" calls niki from a few feet away. i immediately run over to her and our other friend minx. "hi, twink."

bitchass.

"don't call me that," i mumble, and she laughs. don't worry. we all call me that- including myself. 

"minx! don't be mean!" niki scolds, her voice lighter than clouds. she's so sweet. she and karl cancel out completely. they're like my two polar opposite siblings that i love so much.

coach blows the whistle, commencing practice. we do the basic shit- stretches, tumbling, and going over chants, but i get distracted during some of the chanting.

"geeeorge, whatcha lookin' at?" minx whispers from beside me. fuck. i've been staring at the football players for a while now, haven't i?

"nothing, bitch."

"let me guess- mister dreamboat?"

dreamboat? what the hell?

"minx, we're two thousand years into the recorded history of the earth. the phrase 'dreamboat' should have been left behind long before that."

"shut it. you're not denying it, now are you?"

niki's the only one who knows of my thing for dream. she's the only one i can really trust. i mean, karl knows too, but that's because he's good at context clues and body language.

"no! he's cute but not my type."

come on now george. that is a momentous lie.

"whatever. i think you two would be cute."

fuckin' finally, practice is over.

and then i get hit by a metaphorical bus.

i'm bringing dream, niki, and karl home today. shit. this is gonna be awkward. i offered to bring him home before i left his house on saturday, he said he needed a ride and i'm not a dickhead.

"shotgun!" calls karl, sweaty from his football endeavors.

"absolutely not, stinkass. niki gets the front." she smiles triumphantly as the four of us walk to the car.

"what about dream? that motherfucker is way too tall for the back," karl says, laughing.

"come on now, dream's only like six foot three. he's not a fuckin' giant." dream wheezes at this, of course. his signature laugh. it's kinda hot.

=====

our lovely little drive went... shockingly well. karl kept texting me from the backseat.

"oooh goggggy yall r gonna get married"

"hes gonna be the dad to ur children"

i despise him.

i ended up dropping niki off last so we could chat. we always do this when i bring multiple people home.

"do you think he's straight?" i ask her. she knows who i'm talking about.

"oh, definitely not. come on now. does he look like a straight boy to you, george?"

we both laugh our asses off at this.

"are you blind? deaf? just an idiot? have you seen the way he looks at you? heard how highly he speaks of you? georgie, you're so naïve!"

"trust me, he doesn't go for boys. and if he did, he wouldn't go for me."

"whatever you say, dumbass, but i say you're wrong."

for once, i wish to be incorrect.


	4. ☆ dumb blonde ☆

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gay panic. that is all. goodnight.

yesterdays' drive was... interesting, to say the least. me and niki's conversation after was the kicker. 

she thinks that i have a chance with clay. the crazy cute, football captain, track star clay. fuck no. is she delusional? he'd never go for a guy like me.

he'd never go for a guy in general. he's definitely straight. shit, he could pull the most popular, pretty girls in school. there's no way he would EVER go for a boy. 

i'm so happy we got to hang out over the weekend, but at the same time, i regret it. not because i don't want to be around him, but because my stupid crush is coming back. and i don't want to fall for dream again.

"hey georgie!" he calls. stupidly cute voice. stupidly cute nickname. we're in calculus right now, and he sits behind me. i didn't notice. 

because i kinda forgot about how cute he is until football season started up again. 

it's only tuesday and i already want this week to be over, solely so i could go home and think. 

and maybe hang out with him again.

no. i can't do this. 

"hi dream!" 

he warmly smiles. 

"i like your shirt. you look good in pink, you know," dream says, keeping that warm smile. this boy is gonna be the death of me. 

"th-thanks," i respond, very quietly. "i think i got it from pacsun."

"nice. it's a really cute shirt."

i hate him. 

"y-yeah, it's one of my favorites!"

"are you alright? you look a little nervous."

"yeah, i'm fine. i need to go to the bathroom."

i quickly get up and dart to the bathroom, just barely remembering my hall pass. 

why did i run off like that? my hopeless crush AND the cutest boy in school was talking to me, and i fucking ran away from him like a pokémon! 

i lock myself in a stall and just sit there, wallowing in my nervousness. he's so cute. i'm so awkward. we don't mix well.

"georgie? are you alright?"

fuck. not that blonde son of a bitch.

"i-i'm fine."

"did i say something?"

"no! not at all!"

i mean, technically, yes, but no.

"are you sure? it just seems like i pissed you off and i'm so-"

"clay. you're fine. go back to class, i'll be there in a minute."

"alright, georgie. i was just worried about you."

why does he care about me? there are so many pretty girls in this school to compliment and care for and he chooses me, the "short twink" of the school. he must be bad at making decisions.

i hear the door to the bathrooms swing shut as i exit the stall. luckily, i didn't cry or anything. i just sat there. and thought. and daydreamed. i can only dream of his big, strong arms wrapping my dainty figure in a hug after a big game or just when we see each other. his perfect pink lips kissing my cheek or my forehead or wherever. cuddling up with him on the couch, watching a cheesy hallmark christmas movie and drinking hot cocoa. stupid, cute couple things 

i head back to the classroom. 

"you were in there for a while, is everything alright?" the teacher asks, and i nod. "don't be afraid to go to the office, okay?"

as i sit down in my seat, i feel dream's eyes burning into the back of my head, but i choose to ignore it. 

and i ignore him as he tries to catch my attention towards the end of class. 

i'm scared to fall for him again, okay? last time, he got a girlfriend and i got a heartbreak. it just didn't work. and it won't work. 

i mean, he and that girl broke up a long time ago. jade, i think. she might be in cheer with me. she's the one person i dislike strongly- besides like, war criminals, of course- because of my jealousy. she's so perfect and pretty and dainty and i wish i was her-

"george!" karl says, grabbing my wrist. "we're gonna be late to second period!"

=====

(cw- mention of blood/injury)

cheer practice. again. 

this time, i'm less happy and more conflicted. what happened earlier? why did i ignore him solely for being a sweetheart and complimenting my shirt? his compliments probably didn't even mean anything. just him being mr. perfect and an angel. that's all. 

i can't get that charming smile out of my head. dumb blonde football player and his dumb precious smile. 

there's another game on friday, and i'm stunting. i promised niki. 

maybe i'll impress him. 

"davidson!" barks the coach. "pay attention or it's fifty jumping jacks!"

"s-sorry!"

niki stifles a laugh from beside me as i attentively follow the cheerleading routine we're working on. a simple one, per usual, but we made this one ourselves. niki and i sat in her bedroom for hours dancing like idiots and popping our hips to create this routine, and it's our proudest work. 

i wonder if clay thinks it's a good routine. 

the football players took today as a day for stretches and ice baths, and they're stretching in a big group on the other side of the field right now. clay is leading the group, all of the football player's eyes on him. and a pair of eyes from the cheerleader's side of the field as well. 

he looks cute in his football jersey. number twenty-three. 

"george, you in there?" niki says, very softly. "oh. admiring?"

"be quiet!"

"you admire him like he's a work of art."

he really is, honestly. chiseled cheekbones and wavy blonde hair? his freckles look like an artist flicked caramel paint onto his face. his eyes are green like the hills we all rolled down as little kids and-

"practice over!" 

cool. 

niki and i walk to the locker rooms to grab our stuff when i'm interrupted by a hand tugging at my shirt. 

"georgie!" says the dumb blonde, sporting a crooked smile. 

"hi, dream."

"you alright?"

"yeah."

"okay. do you have a ride?"

"shoot. i forgot."

"i'll bring you home. i know where your house is."

"okay. let me go get my stuff."

he smiles, that precious, handsome smile, and i scurry off to catch up with niki. she giggles at my flushed face and the slight stuttering in my speech from the embarrassment of being awkward with dream. 

he was just being nice earlier! all he did was compliment my shirt and i had to be a weirdo. that's it. he probably thinks i'm weird. 

i grab my backpack and cheer bag and head out to the front of the school. my phone rings. 

dream.

"hey, i'm out front. i wanna talk, alright? it's just gonna be us in the car, so don't worry."

"o-okay."

my hands are sweating as i walk out to the parking lot, finding dream's car and getting into the passenger seat. i see he laid out a monster for me. 

"th-thank you," i say, quietly.

"no problem. i brought an extra, just in case. i was gonna give it to you in homeroom."

i don't speak, just a hum. 

"george?"

"what?"

"are you mad at me? you just seem like it."

"no."

"are you sure?"

"yes."

"well you ran off in first period and shit- uh, stuff and now you just seem off and-"

"i'm not mad at you! god!"

dream goes quiet for a second, and turns up the radio. probably to soften the uncomfortable silence between us. 

the radio is playing taylor swift. not too bad. better than some of the other trash they play these days. 

"wanna drive for a bit?" dream asks, his voice soft. "or i could bring you home. if you don't wanna. it's up to you."

"we can drive."

"okay. you can pick music, my phone's in the front pocked of my bag."

i smile a little and take his phone out, opening his spotify. his recent song is "feels like summer" by childish gambino. 

i change it to "generation why," another good song off of sunset season. this one isn't my favorite on the track, but it's still really good. all of conan gray's music is good. 

"this song is nice," dream says softly. "i like the beat."

"me too. conan gray is one of my favorites."

"i've never heard of them. maybe i'll look them up later."

"clay?"

he looks taken aback by the usage of his real name. 

"yeah?"

"i'm sorry for being all weird. it's nothing, i swear."

"it's okay, don't worry 'bout it." he smiles, another crooked smirk, and brushes his wavy hair out of his face. "what time do i have to have you home, georgie?"

"i can text my mom."

i open my phone and type out a message that reads "can i go ride with a friend for a bit?"

"which one? karl? you know that boy's crazy."

"no, clay."

"of course! be back by eight, alright?"

"okay! thank you, i love you."

"love you too sweetheart."

i shut my phone off and look up at him. "she said i need to be back by eight."

"alright. perfect. you okay with getting some dinner out? or we can go back to mine maybe. whatever you want."

"going out is fine. i'm hungry as hell."

"georgie swearing?!"

"s-sorry."

"it's fine, i'm messing."

he laughs a little at my distress, quickly sneaking a glance at me. i see it out the corner of my eye, but i don't say a thing. he's probably just wondering why he talks to me. or why he's on a ride with the school twink. 

"where do you wanna get dinner?" dream asks, not taking his eyes off the road. 

"anywhere is fine."

"pick somewhere! i don't care either!"

"i don't know, sonic?!"

we both burst into laughter. we're so indecisive. his laugh is cute. 

dream quietly drives to the sonic, but this time, the silence is nice. comfortable. 

"how do you feel about eating in my backyard? we still have that treehouse."

"sure, i'm down. just don't push me down the ladder again."

one time, in freshman year, he pushed me down the ladder by accident. he freaked out, almost cried when he saw my broken arm, calling 911 and holding me. i think he was crying. he sprinted to his bathroom and got a towel to wipe the blood up while we waited for the ambulance, and he brushed my hair out of my face and told me i was gonna be alright. 

and that's when i first got a crush on him. i'd always kind of admired him, but i didn't realize i liked him until then. he just became so much more to me, i guess.

"what are you gonna get?" he says, snapping me back to the present. "i think i'm gonna get a strawberry milkshake."

"i'll have a chocolate one. are we gonna get actual dinner or nah?"

"i think i'm just gonna get my milkshake. you can get whatever though. it's on me."

"i have my card, dream, it's fine."

"shush. i'm paying."

i roll my eyes as he places our order, and before i can think about getting my card out, he pays. and smiles. 

"ha," he says, a hint of pride in his voice. "suck it."

"i'm paying next time."

"so, there's gonna be a next time?"

i feel my face heating up. he wants to hang out with me? 

this feels like a date. a date with a straight boy. 

"maaaybe. maybe there will be a 'next time.'"

dream giggles as he takes the food, pulling out of the sonic and heading off to his house. upon arriving, we climb into the treehouse, being careful not to drop our food on the way up the ladder. because that would suck. 

well, just our shakes. we didn't even get food. 

"want a sip?" dream asks as we take seats on the lookout area of the treehouse, our legs dangling from the edge. "i can wipe the straw off for you. it's really good."

"alright. just wipe the straw off, please."

"alright!"

he wipes the straw off and hands me the drink, allowing me to take a nice, long sip from his strawberry milkshake. 

"tastes good, huh?" he says with a giggle as my face lights up. 

"yeah. i like it!"

i'm such a dork. i can feel my face heating up again as i hand him his drink back, and we spend the rest of our time together drinking milkshakes and teasing one another. 

soon, i gotta go home. 

"i'm bringing you home," dream declares, car keys in hand. "it is way too far to walk."

"alright, alright. let's go. i'm gonna be late."

"okay, georgie."


	5. ☆ "cutie! ☆

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they're best friends, your honor :)

was that a date?

surely not. it was just two old friends hanging out in a treehouse. nothing happened. i drank a milkshake next to him and kinda snapped at him a little.

it's technically wednesday morning. three. i have the greatest sleep schedule, i know. 

dream texted earlier after i left. he asked me if i was cheering on friday night for the game, which i said "yes." i mean, i wasn't planning on it, but i am now. 

i need to go to sleep because i have school in three hours, but i also cannot stop thinking of him. this is a problem. 

i've got it so, so, so bad.

it elevated from admiring a cute boy from afar to thinking about him for hours. 

=====

i grab a monster and head out to the car. no practice today, so i'm going to niki's after school to do homework with her, wilbur, and karl. 

and him.

i'm kinda excited. i get to hang out with my good friends, and the cutest boy in school!

niki's missed the bus again, so i'm bringing her to school. i'm also dragging a cup of coffee along. it's gonna be a long ass day.

i pull out of my driveway and head off to niki's house, coffee in the cup holder and my bag on the floor behind me. she said she's ready already, which is good. she doesn't take long to get ready in the morning. 

as i drive, i shuffle my playlist, and a good ass song comes on. "crush culture." reminds me about how stupid this dumb ass crush on dream is. 

"i'm here," i text to niki, and she's already waiting at her driveway for me. nice. 

"hi george!" she says, with her angelic voice. 

"hi nik."

"you good? you look tired."

"i'm fine. just couldn't sleep last night."

niki exhales and pulls out her phone. she's got messages from wilbur. 

we drive quietly, the only sounds being the songs in the background, and eventually arrive at school. good thing i sit in front of him in my first period. that's just great. 

"hi georgie!" calls the stupid, stupid blondie. 

"hi."

"did you sleep alright? you seem tired."

"i'm fine."

"that's nice. i li-"

"you know you can stop being like that, right?"

"like what?" his face falls, hiding the cute smile he was wearing when we first started chatting.

"you're so nice to me! i know you don't act like this with anyone else."

"oh. i-i'm sorry."

i now feel like shit, because he looks hurt. he's just being nice to me, goddammit. why do i have to be like this?! i don't even dislike it!

i think i'm just having trouble dealing with my crush. that's it. 

we don't talk for the rest of class. dream looks kinda sad. 

"i'll see you at lunch?" he says as we're walking out of class.

"i-i guess."

=====

lunch time!

i'm sitting by karl, with an open spot next to me. niki's doing something in the library today and can't sit with us. aww. 

dream's not here yet. his best friend is. that nick kid. everyone calls him "sapnap." there's also bad and zak/skeppy here. wilbur's in the library with niki. minx's hanging out with her other friends. 

i feel out of place. 

"hi guys!" dream calls, putting his bag down. 

"dream! come sit by us!" karl calls, motioning to the empty seat next to me. "nobody's sitting there!"

i kick karl under the table. 

"georgie, may i sit here?" he asks, and i nod. karl looks like he's gonna burst as he hears dream calling me "georgie."

fuuuck. 

"hi!" i say, trying my hardest to be sweet. i still feel awful for being rude earlier. 

"what's up?"

"nothin'."

"are you free tonight?"

my shins are kicked by karl again. 

"y-yeah, why?"

"cool. expect messages."

the heat is rising in my face. how does he just ask that? 

oh yeah. he doesn't know i have a crush on him.

lunch is kind of quiet. sapnap and dream talk mostly, karl chiming in sometimes. i'm quiet. 

"georgie, are you going?" dream asks, nudging my side. 

"what?"

"homecoming! on saturday!"

"uh- i don't really know, honestly."

"you should totally come."

"maybe. i'll think about it."

dream smiles and cleans his area up, as the bell for our next class is about to ring. he offers to take my trash to the trash can as well, and i let him. just because. 

he's really, really, really cute. 

=====

we don't have cheer practice today, so i'm driving home with niki. she offered to get behind the wheel, but i won't let her. 

also, our study plans got cancelled because wilbur had plans and dream said he had something to do today. 

"so... are you going to homecoming?" she asks me. "i'm going with wilbur. as friends, of course."

"i don't know, honestly. i don't have a date and i kinda don't see the point."

"you know, i don't think dreeeam would be opposed to being your date."

"nik, he would never."

"you haven't heard? everyone's saying he has a crush on you!"

what. the. fuck. is. going. on?

"that's just a rumor."

"you don't see how he acts differently around you?"

"i mean, he's just being nice."

"karl told me he asked you if you were free later."

"yeah, he did. he just wanted to talk or whatever!"

"george, i love you dearly, but you're an idiot. he obviously has a crush on you."

"we're just friends. i swear. he would never have a crush on me when he could get any girl in the school!"

"who said he even likes girls?!"

i shut my mouth, because i know niki's right. who said?

he might not be straight, but he surely doesn't like me. hell no. he would never go for someone like me. 

and now my phone is ringing. "nik, can you grab that?" i ask her, and she does. 

"ooh, dream's calling you!"

"decline it."

"fine. can i at least tell him you're driving?"

"sure."

she types out the message and sends.

"he replied! he said, 'can i come see you at seven?'"

FUCK.

"umm... tell him 'i guess.'"

"gogy, are you seriously playing hard-to-get with him?"

"hard-to-get with a boy that doesn't WANT to 'get' me? that's impossible!"

"i said 'sure!!' with a smiley face. give him some hope."

"NIKI! he's gonna think i like him!"

"you literally DO like him!"

"he doesn't need to know that!"

we're both laughing so hard as i pull into niki's driveway, unlocking her car door. 

"bye niki! i'll see you at school tomorrow!" i call as she walks up to her door. 

"have fun with dreeeam!"

i sigh, playfulling rolling my eyes, and pull out of the driveway, heading home. 

=====

it's almost seven. only like, twenty minutes until he's here. 

i still am wondering why he wants to come see me, but hey. he's cute. and funny. and really, really, really sweet. so i'm totally okay with hanging out. 

i totally didn't put on another pink shirt because he said i look good in pink. 

also, why is that rumor going around? the popular boy in school having a crush on the boy that gets called "gogy" by his friends? that is stupid. so, so stupid. 

and i kinda hope it's true. 

"george! someone's here to see you!" my mom calls. when i run down the stairs, i can see her smirk. she knows it's dream. 

"are you two..." she asks, and i shake my head, running to the door to let him in. 

"hi georgie!" he says, his smile evident in his voice. "how are you?"

"g-good, and you?"

"i'm doing great."

"do you wanna go upstairs?" i ask him as he slips his shoes off, putting them aside with mine. we both climb upstairs and go into my room. 

"so, is there any reason why you wanted to see me?" i ask him. there's an accusing tone in my voice. i don't mean it, it just came out. 

"i just wanted to see you. you're wearing pink again. cutie."

FUCK YOU.

i don't know if i want to kill him or kiss him. 

"why did you want to see me?"

"just because! i like hanging out with you. you're interesting."

"whatever. i like hanging out with you too."

"wow, we're actually getting somewhere! he complimented me back!"

"dream, you're an idiot."

"being called an 'idiot' by you is a privilege."

why does he have to tease me like this? fake flirting. it's gonna be the death of me. so i decide to do it back. 

"being called a 'cutie' by YOU is a privilege."

his face goes pink a little. 

"well, you are a cutie."

"you are the absolute worst."

"whatever, cutie. cutie. cutie."

"i'm going to kill you!" 

i pick a pillow off of my bed behind me and hit him with it. he's sitting across from me, criss-cross, and the pillow hits him in his stupid head. 

"that wasn't nice!" he says. "you're lucky i'd never hit you!"

maybe he does have a thing for me. 

"wow, what a gentleman."

"i could never hurt my georgie!"

"your georgie?" i croak. it sounds like we're dating. 

and i kinda like it. 

"was that weird?"

"n-no, i don't care. you're the only person who calls me 'georgie.'"

"good."

=====

it's a little late. we've been sitting in my room for three hours, teasing each other. we had dinner. pizza. 

karl's freaking out because i told him dream called me cute. 

"gogy's getting married!" he said. he's hanging out with nick right now. i think they're both high, but that's not my business. 

and here we are, sitting side-by-side on my bed, playing minecraft. 

"george! why did you take my gold out?!" dream jokingly scolds, punching my character. "i need it for the nether!"

"sorry, one sec."

"no, you can keep it. i can get more."

"i'm giving it back!"

my phone vibrates as i throw him his gold back, and it's my mother. 

"it's a school night, george, you need to get clay home by eleven!" she says. it's only ten. ten-fifteen.

"clay, would you like me to drive you home at eleven? i know you didn't take your car here," i ask him. 

"no, georgie. i won't make you drive me."

"i don't want you to walk! it's late!"

"fine. if you insist, cutie."

i blush a little bit and shut off my controller. why does he have to keep being like this? these jokes are strange. 

it's not flirting, just jokes. 

it's not flirting. 

"what's up?" he says, his emerald eyes looking in mine. 

"nothing."

are the rumor true? how did they even start? if they're not true, why hasn't he said anything about it? does he even know about them? fuck. 

"clay?"

"yes?"

"haven't you heard the rumors?"

"what rumors?"

"oh. don't worry about it then."

"whatever."

we sit quietly for a few minutes before i get up to go to the bathroom, and when i come back, dream's snapping a million pictures of his pretty face on my phone. 

"dreeeam!" i say, snatching the phone from his hands. "i am SO posting those on my instagram."

"of course you are. i'm handsome."

"i won't confirm nor deny that."

and when i lie back down in the bed, i'm closer to him than i was before. my eyes are slightly heavy. 

"are you tired? i can go home," dream says, seeing me yawn. "so you can get your beauty sleep."

"shut up, i'm not that tired."

my eyes flutter shut for a second, opening immediately as he jerks his shoulder. 

"not that tired, huh?" dream says, smirking. 

"you are awful!"

"seriously though, i can go home if you're ready for bed."

"i'm not tired!" i say. i also turn on my side, resting my head on his chest. "you make a nice pillow though."

"you can sleep on me, i won't mind. sapnap sleeps in my lap on the bus when we have away games."

"yeah, who doesn't cuddle with their friends?"

"you're the only one of my friends that ever wants to cuddle with me! it's stupid!" dream giggles. "they all call me sus!"

"you are sus!"

"i'm literally not even straight! of course i'm sus!"

he... isn't a three-in-one, "saturdays are for the boys," football straight boy?

"sus."

"you're the one cuddling with me, georgie."

"hey, you're warm! and you're strong! you make a nice teddy bear." i sound like a little kid, burying my head in his chest. he smells nice. 

"i would also make a nice homecoming date."

did he just...

did he just ask me to homecoming?

"is that a bet?"

I HATE YOU. I HATE THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL.

"no balls, twenty dollars, will you go to homecoming with me, georgie? as friends? i mean, unless."

"sure. i wouldn't mind that. as friends."

oh my god. oh my fucking god. oh holy lord above. is this real? or am i in a movie? is there someone with a hidden camera? am i being pranked?

maybe the rumors are true. 

"oh, and you're cheering the homecoming game! every year, the senior football players always do a little walk thing with their dates, and i get to walk the cutest cheerleader! unless you're not comfortable with it, obviously. i don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"i'll do the walk thing with you. they all know i like boys anyways, so what's the point in not?"

"yeah. and you're so cute, it'd be a crime not to do it!"

he ruffles my hair. 

this is such a nice friendship. two old friends coming back together and being besties? going to homecoming as friends and cudddling (platonically)?

is it even a friendship anymore? it feels like just a little bit more. he's been teasing me all night. it feels like flirting. 

my eyelids start to get heavier as i indulge myself in his scent. and i eventually fall asleep, lying on his chest, my nose buried in his hoodie.


End file.
